When I began my fantasy romance series, I never realised that elves would feature so prominently. But as most writers will know, characters have a way or forcing themselves into your stories.

The elven character is beloved in fantasy tales such as Tolkien’s and this is the type of elf which has inhabited my world of Thorius. They are tall, lithe and handsome with pointed ears. They dwell in forests and live in trees. They live for centuries but the trade off for a longer life is their low reproductive rate.

There is one important exception. My elves have dark skin and dark eyes. I wanted something different in my elves, something that wold set them apart from other fantasy elves. They have amazing low light and night vision though not as good as nocturnal animals. Their pupils are oval shaped not round.

Initially, the dark elves in my stories were just a far way nuisance in Princess Avenger, before becoming a real threat to Benae and Ramon in The Lady’s Choice. They have evolved from being a single race to having two factions- once dedicated to peace and one to regaining their lands that were taken by humans. They have magic, which is met with suspicion by the humans.

In The Elf King’s Lady, Kain must confront dark elves in a very real way and we meet elven princess Gwaethe Arenil. And now I come to write Gwaethe’s story. How will she ensure peace for her people while fighting a civil war? Who will she enlist to help her achieve her goals. Will she fall in love or is the cause of peace all there is for her?

I look forward to bringing Elf Princess Warrior to you in the future. The first seven thousand words are written, only sixty odd thousand to go!